In ancient Athens, the assembly or court of the people; a democratic institution where free male citizens gathered to hear legal cases and vote on judgments.
From Greek 'heliaia' (ἡλιαία), possibly derived from 'helios' (sun) because the court met in the open air under sunlight, or from 'helos' meaning 'assembled people.' It was the primary judicial body in Athenian democracy.
The Heliaea was Athens' supreme court where thousands of ordinary citizens—not judges—voted on cases sitting in the open air, making it possibly the most direct form of justice by democracy ever created!
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